“I want justice for my child. I want this not to go unhandled.,” said Marbella Carranza.
GAINESVILLE, Texas — On a bitterly cold day in Cooke County, a Gainesville family laid their 11-year-old daughter to rest while grappling with the pain and anger of believing that bullying at school over her immigration status may have driven her to take her own life.
Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, a sixth grader who adored dancing, singing, and playing with her siblings in their Gainesville backyard, was remembered for the joy she brought to those around her.
“And that’s how I’m going to remember her,” her mother, Marbella Carranza, shared with WFAA, speaking just hours after the funeral service at St. Mary’s Catholic Church — the same church where Jocelynn had been baptized. The sanctuary was filled to capacity, with many standing to honor her.
“We are here to offer thanksgiving for the life of Jocelynn,” Father John Pacheco said during the funeral mass. “Because Jocelynn will be remembered forever.”
Jocelynn died on February 8, five days after attempting suicide at her home. She would have turned 12 this June.
“It’s true,” Carranza said through a translator. “It started on the bus. There was a situation on the bus where that started.”
She explained that the bullying at Gainesville Intermediate School became so severe that Jocelynn began meeting with a school counselor multiple times a week. However, Carranza only learned of the extent of the bullying after the suicide attempt. She says her daughter was targeted for her immigration status, with classmates taunting her about what would happen if her parents were deported.
“They would tell her that ICE was going to come and take her parents away, and she would be left alone,” Carranza said. “The rumors and the bullying centered around her parents being immigrants.”
The Gainesville Independent School District declined to comment on Jocelynn’s case specifically but issued a statement to WFAA:
“The top priority of the Gainesville ISD is to ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students. Because of this, we take any reports of bullying at our schools very seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy.
Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally. While we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents, our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts. These policies provide opportunities to report such behavior. If a report arises, the District immediately takes all steps necessary to respond appropriately. We have been, and will continue to be proactive in our efforts to make sure our schools are safe, secure, and free from harassment.”
Carranza, however, is left with a painful question: “Why didn’t they ever inform me about what was happening at school with my daughter?” She added, “I want justice for my child. I want this to be handled. If there are other students going through the same thing, pay attention. The school needs to pay attention.”
Two certified GoFundMe campaigns, one created by Jocelynn’s father and the other by her aunt, are helping the family cover medical bills and funeral costs.
